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Writing Support

Our writing consultants are friendly, experienced, non-judgmental readers who can support you through any stage in your writing process: from brainstorming and organizing ideas, to drafting, clarifying, and polishing. Our writing support is collaborative, and we believe every writer deserves a discerning, compassionate reader. ARC writing support is free for any undergraduate or graduate student in the school of Arts, Sciences and Engineering.

Types of Writing Support

We can work with you to strengthen your argument, clarify and organize your ideas, deepen your analysis, and develop your writing style and process. We can also demystify citations and disciplinary conventions. Our goal is to help you feel confident that what you want to say is what ends up in your paper!

Some of our writing consultants specialize in helping with the transition from high school to college-level writing. These consultants have taught classes that fulfill the College Writing Foundation Requirement and are familiar with the expectations of the program.

Because longer writing projects like a thesis can benefit from early and regular discussion of the overall structure, chapter outlines, early drafts, and later polishing, we offer the Senior Writers Action Group (SWAG), a writing group especially for senior thesis writers. Through SWAG, we offer a number of workshops specific to different aspects of the senior thesis (such as developing a writing process for the thesis, using citation management systems, writing for STEM fields, and preparing for your defense) as well as thesis "bootcamp" writing sessions. We also recommend working one-on-one with a writing consultant regularly throughout the senior thesis year.

Personal statements are challenging! Whether you’re applying for law school, medical school, graduate school, grants, fellowships, or scholarships, or other opportunities, we can help you develop and polish your personal statement.

We also provide Tufts alumni feedback on personal statements. This service is limited to three appointments. Email us with the answers to the following questions:

Our writing consultations offer a safe space for you to develop strategies for incorporating outside sources into your writing, such as properly integrating quotations, paraphrasing effectively and appropriately, and citing accurately.

Graduate Writing Support

We provide one-on-one support for graduate-level projects such as seminar papers, qualifying papers, fellowship applications, theses, doctoral dissertations, and proposals, abstracts, and papers for conferences or publication. We understand the particular challenges graduate students face. Writing consultations may be arranged for regular weekly appointments or on an as-needed basis. We also offer several writing groups and retreats for graduate students.

We offer ongoing writing support for any graduate student from any discipline. Each week we hold three-hour meetings so you can talk with other graduate students about struggles and successes, set personal goals, and, most importantly, write. An ARC writing consultant will be available during these meetings to offer advice and consultation. Check our calendar for updated information, or email us.

Open to Tufts graduate students from any department in Arts and Sciences, the SMFA, and the School of Engineering.

The Graduate Writing Retreat is a week-long event designed to help graduate students make significant progress on their thesis or dissertation. Generally held in January, June, and August, our graduate writing retreats provide a comfortable, supportive environment where you can focus entirely on your writing. It is an opportunity to learn and practice healthy writing habits, work with other graduate students, and take advantage of guidance from writing consultants. You can be at any stage in the dissertation or thesis process, as long as you plan to use the retreat primarily for writing (rather than research).

On the first day, the group will work together to identify common problems for graduate student writers and strategies for addressing them, review retreat policies, and establish house rules. You will draft a personal writing plan and meet with a graduate writing consultant to discuss your goals and concerns. After that, a typical day will involve at least four hours of writing time, with optional time in the afternoons to meet with writing consultants. At the end of retreat, you will have the chance to re-evaluate your goals and progress.

Enrollment is capped at 15 students, admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants must commit to the structure and rules of the retreat. See the Groups and Retreats page for dates and application information.

Policies and Limitations

ARC writing support is available on the Medford campus to any undergraduate or graduate student in the schools of Arts, Sciences and Engineering, and on the Fenway campus for SMFA students (who can also use Medford campus resources). See above for alternate resources for Fletcher and the Health Sciences campus.

Appointments are limited to one session per day and three sessions per week. Students are limited to 15 hours of writing tutoring per semester. Contact us if you have questions.

You must give us at least six hours' notice if you need to cancel an appointment. If you cancel with less than six-hour notice or miss a scheduled appointment, you must wait a full week before making another appointment. If you miss appointments regularly, we reserve the right to suspend your use of our services for the remainder of the semester.

Consultants will only work with you on a take-home exam if you present written permission from the professor at the time of the appointment. It is your responsibility to make it clear to the writing consultant that the assignment is a take-home exam and to provide permission. Written permission may be provided on a syllabus, assignment sheet, or email.

Making an appointment for another student or bringing another student's work to a writing tutoring session is expressly forbidden. You can only book appointments for yourself and bring your own paper. Violating this rule may result in a suspension of ARC services as well as disciplinary action.

In the case of group writing projects, one student may make the appointment but the entire group should attend. The exception is if you only want to work on your portion of the final paper.

My writing consultant listened carefully to everything I said and provided the greatest feedback I've ever received. I've never felt more confident handing in an essay at Tufts